LONDON – NOVEMBER 07, 2017: The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) has pledged its support for the ‘Ambition 1.5oC: Global Shipping’s Action Plan’ summit which will gather 150-200 invited, influential shipping industry representatives and delegates of the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to create an Action Plan for the decarbonization of the shipping industry at the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) on November 13 in Bonn, Germany.

The need for shipping to contribute it’s ‘fair share’ of GHG reductions and to decarbonize quickly and deeply enough to meet the high ambition climate change target of limiting global temperatures to 1.5oC, as indicated in the Paris Agreement, has catalyzed the need for a business-focused approach that pushes ahead of regulatory mechanisms.

Work undertaken during the industry-driven summit to develop the required Action Plan will support industry ambition and the exploitation of opportunities presented by decarbonization. The group will use the reviewed and accelerated ‘pathway’ developed by the Sustainable Shipping Initiative as a framework for the Action Plan and resultant strategies held within the Action Plan will consider all active industry environmental work streams and initiatives.

Following the summit, a briefing document will be delivered to UNFCCC delegates, National delegation focal points, the UNFCCC secretariat and all relevant national policy makers to influence discussions around shipping transportation at the core COP23 proceedings. This briefing document will provide a summary of the main challenges and opportunities of shipping industry decarbonization, the high ambition approaches agreed at the summit and a copy of the draft Action Plan created. An official press conference will also be held at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety on November 15, 2017.

The common goal to reach global greenhouse gas (GHG) neutrality that was agreed under the Paris Agreement, adopted at COP21 under the UNFCCC in 2015, has provoked momentum and regulatory action around shipping’s GHG contributions within the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) meetings of shipping’s regulatory body, the International Maritime Organization (IMO). However, many in the industry do not believe that sufficient action is being taken at a fast-enough pace to meet the urgency of the challenge.

The Ambition 1.5oC: Global Shipping’s Action Plan summit has been officially endorsed by a jury consisting of the UNFCCC partners; the incoming Fijian Presidency of COP23, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and the City of Bonn and is an official Climate Partner for COP23.

Co-organisers of the summit include Lloyd’s Register, MAN Diesel & Turbo, RightShip, MARIKO, Danish Shipping, International Windship Association (IWSA) and Green Ship of the Future. The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI), Carbon War Room and UMAS are acting as advisors and the official event organisers are The Blue Green Events Company, Mantour Consultancy and Smart Green Shipping Alliance (SGSA).